The Year That Never Was
by Hobbit985
Summary: The Master had great fun torturing Jack in the year that never was. Most of it Jack could put up with, but then the Master started capturing the Torchwood team... MENTIONS OF TORTURE AND RAPE


Jack stood on the Plass looking at the huge water tower, wondering if the team were watching him on the CCTV. If they were they were obviously expecting him to make the first move as none of them had come out to demand where he'd been.

He so desperately wanted to see them all, but he just couldn't bring himself to go and see them. There were moments when Jack thought he'd never see them again. Then the Master had managed to break Jack by torturing him in the worst possible way.

MAY:

After Martha teleported off the Valiant Jack was dragged down to a cell and chained up. He didn't see anyone for several days and wondered vaguely if he'd been forgotten, though somehow he doubted the Master would just forget about his prisoners. Especially someone as 'fun' as Jack.

A week after he was first locked up Tish Jones finally appeared with food for him. He gratefully accepted what she fed to him and she warned Jack that the Master would be coming for him later, though she didn't know what he was planning to do.

Jack had a pretty good idea and he was right. Apparently the Master was in a bad mood and needed to vent some anger. It wouldn't be the last time Jack died at the hands of the Master.

JUNE:

The Jones family were banned from talking to Jack. The Master was fed up of Jack being for-warned before his beating sessions. More than anything this made Jack feel even more cut off. It didn't bother him so much not knowing when he was going to die again; it was the fact that he hadn't heard another human being speak to him (rather than just shout insults like the Master) in so long.

It had been over a month since he'd seen the Doctor, but Jack knew he must still be alive. He doubted even the Master would want to be the only one of his species left in the universe.

Jack hoped that whatever plan the Doctor had given to Martha was going to come to a head soon. He wasn't sure how much more he could put up with.

JULY:

Jack spent the whole of July hungry. The Master had foiled an escape plan the Joneses and the Doctor had cooked up and as punishment they were all tied up separately. The Master had taken great delight in telling all this to Jack and ending with 'since they're all being punished I'm afraid there's no one to feed you. Sorry'.

Starvation was one of the nastiest deaths Jack had ever had to suffer through. It was made worse by the fact that when the Master was in a bad mood he would wander down to Jack's cell and eat in front of him.

AUGUST:

August bought news of Martha. Apparently someone had seen her in Russia. This lifted Jack's spirits slightly and when Tish started appearing with food for him again he felt as happy as was possible in the current situation.

The Master must've found something else to occupy his attention because Jack didn't see him for a few weeks. He was half dreading the moment he would return, for fear he'd be angrier than ever.

The Master still killed him the next time he turned up, but it was with no more malice than before and Jack managed to bear it.

SEPTEMBER:

September was a bad month. The Master appeared one day flanked by guards and dragged Jack up to the main deck of the Valiant. Apparently the Master was going to 'kill two birds with one stone' so to speak and torture Jack in front of the Doctor.

Jack refused to look at his friend. He couldn't because then the Doctor would see the pain and the whole situation would be ten times worse. Each time when the Master had finished though he would glance up at the old Time Lord and attempt a smile. Sometimes he couldn't manage it, but the Doctor would always nod at him as if he understood the small gesture of reassurance Jack was trying to convey.

OCTOBER:

Jack stopped smiling at the Doctor. He just couldn't after what the Master had begun to do to him. Torture and death was no longer enough for the Master and Jack could no longer bear it. He shut everything out as the Time Lord took advantage of his weakened state.

Jack was pretty sure the Doctor had stopped watching. Oh he was still forced to be there, but the distant look on his face clearly said that he'd shut himself off too.

There had been no more news of Martha and Jack wondered whether this was a good or bad thing. Probably good. Martha wouldn't want her plans to get back to the Master if she was to succeed.

NOVEMBER:

Jack's birthday was in November. He hadn't had a proper celebration in years. The only reason it had even occurred to him was because he had little to do but think.

No surprise, the Master didn't give him a birthday present. The usual torture sessions continued to take place, until one day the Master came down to Jack's cell again. Only this time he wasn't alone.

Jack felt his stomach tighten and his blood run cold as a battered and bruised Owen Harper was pushed to his knees in front of Jack.

"I'm sorry, we found out he'd taken you and we ran Jack, we ran and tried to find a way to save you," Owen babbled quickly, his eyes wide with fear.

"Where are the others?" Jack interrupted desperately. "Are they ok?"

"They're-" The Master hit Owen hard and he collapsed to the floor, struggling to sit up again with his hands tied behind his back.

"Don't worry about the rest of your pretty little team," the Master crooned. "I have men looking for them and we _will_ find them."

"If you hurt them I'll-"

"You'll what?" The Master looked at him challengingly. He grabbed Owen and pulled him to his feet, holding a gun beneath his jaw.

"They're fine Jack! Gwen, Tosh, Ianto… they all got away… it was only me that got caught and Ianto says-"

Owen was cut of by the gun shot that reverberated round Jack's cell.

DECEMBER:

Jack had all but given up. He hadn't made eye contact with the Doctor in months, he couldn't sleep because every time he did he saw Owen's cold dead eyes and he was still chained up in a cell receiving regular beatings and other forms of torture that he preferred not to think about.

Less than three weeks after Owen was captured, the Master bought in Gwen. She looked like she'd put up a good fight, her left eye was black and blood was slowly dripping from her nose.

"I told you we'd find them," the Master growled, shoving Gwen onto her knees.

Jack looked at her sadly, but didn't say anything. Gwen met his haze and Jack knew instantly that she'd forgiven him for leaving without notice, that she understood and that she didn't blame him for whatever happened to her now.

The Master shot her as well.

JANUARY:

There was no more news about Tosh or Ianto. It appeared they had managed to elude the Master. This cheered Jack up a little. At least two of his friends would be waiting for him when he got home.

All throughout his torture sessions he mourned Owen and Gwen. He couldn't believe he'd allowed things to get to the point that the Master had begun murdering the people he loved. They were the only family he had now and he had let them slip. He blamed himself as much as the Master.

Towards the end of January Jack finally caught the Doctor's gaze again and for a moment he thought he saw a shimmer of hope behind the old brown eyes. It was only a second, but it was enough to keep him going.

FEBRUARY:

The Master stopped visiting again. Jack was worried in case this meant Martha or Tosh or Ianto had been kidnapped, but no word reached him. The weeks seemed to drag by without the regular torture sessions to break it up. Jack struggled to know when one day ended and another began. He never needed sleep so he couldn't even tell that way. He was only given one meal a day and when that was delivered changed.

It was a slow month.

MARCH:

Jack was killed eighteen times in two days. He ached all over and couldn't muster the energy to wonder what had bought on the Master's anger. A few days after the spree however Tish bought him news that Martha was apparently gathering up some sort of weapon to kill the Master with and that was why he was so annoyed. She'd managed to evade capture.

Jack's happiness at this news was short lived though. A week and a half afterwards, Tish bought news that the Master had two new prisoners.

APRIL:

Jack spent all his time worrying over who the two prisoners were. He had yet to see them, though the Master had visited several times and not mentioned them. This gave Jack hope that they weren't Tosh and Ianto.

His hope was shattered when they were bought down to him. The Master had tortured them in much the same way he had Jack before bringing them to see their Captain one last time.

"Jack Harkness," the Master smiled. "Not so commanding now are you? Your stupid little team just couldn't keep away. They foolishly thought it was possible to save you and the other two. Care to tell them where Owen and Gwen are?"

Jack didn't answer; he was too busy watching the scared silent pleas that Tosh and Ianto were shooting his way. The Master smacked him hard and still Jack said nothing. So the Master pulled out a gun and, pushing Tosh and Ianto to their knees, held it to Ianto's head.

"They're dead!" Jack said quickly. "Please, don't hurt them!"

The Master didn't pull the gun away, but he didn't shoot either.

"Ah, I forgot, you love this one don't you?" The Master asked. Jack nodded scared that if he didn't answer the Master would kill them.

"But not this one…" the Master indicated Tosh. "I guess you won't miss her then."

"NO!" Jack and Ianto both shouted just as the Master pulled the trigger.

MAY:

Jack had endured torture, rape and starvation on more than one occasion throughout the year that never was, but watching the same torments being used on Ianto was ten times worse.

Of all the things the Master had done, Jack almost couldn't bear this. He could feel himself losing his grip on reality. At least the others had been given a quick merciful death. It seemed the Master had specially saved Ianto for the mere pleasure of hurting Jack.

One day the Master stood up, cleaning himself off, leaving Ianto groaning on the floor, curling into a ball. He looked at Jack suddenly, who was watching his lover sadly.

"I think I've had enough of your tea-boy," he said, pulling out his gun.

"No, please," Jack begged. "Kill me, hit me, kick me, just don't hurt him."

The Master almost looked like he was going to relent. Almost.

"I'm not that sort of a man," he said pulling the trigger.

Jack gasped. It was worse than dying himself. He felt like his soul had been ripped from his body and torn to shreds. It barely registered that a guard had come in to tell the Master that they'd located Martha Jones. All that mattered to Jack was the small body of Ianto Jones, so fragile, lying on the floor.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack shuddered at the memories, realising he'd been stood on the Plass for hours now. Sighing he headed towards the tourists entrance. The Doctor had assured him that when they had reversed time everyone who had died had been bought back to life, but Jack still wasn't sure he could face his team when he knew what might've happened to them.

There was no one in the reception area when he entered. It was getting dark now, but surely they wouldn't have all gone home yet? Wandering down to the main Hub area Jack found that they had moved things round.

There were files all over Tosh and Owen's desks. He picked up a few and leafed through them. He frowned slightly and bought up some of the CCTV footage from around Cardiff.

It seemed they'd gone in search of a blow fish driving a sports car. They'd taken the SUV so Jack had no transport. Sighing to himself he grabbed a PDA and typed in the coordinates he needed. He holstered his trusty Webley and set off out of the Hub again. Well, he'd catch up with the team eventually.


End file.
